Bison Men Ready for Summit League Cross Country Championships in Grand Forks
The North Dakota State men’s cross-country team will run at the Summit League Championships this Saturday, Oct. 29, in Grand Forks, N.D.
The University of North Dakota will host the meet at Ray Richards Golf Course. The men’s eight-kilometer race is scheduled for noon, following the women’s 6k at 11 a.m.
The Bison men return their top three finishers from last year’s Summit League Championships in Mason Kindel (12th), Jake Arason (14th), and Payton Smith (21st). Three different NDSU men have led the squad in races this season, with Arason joined by sophomore Symon Keiser and junior Hunter Klimek at the front of the pack.
The NDSU men are currently ranked 14th in the Midwest Region following a strong performance at the Bradley Pink Classic on Oct. 14, taking seventh place out of 35 teams in the meet.
NDSU is in search of its first-ever Summit League team title in men’s cross country. The Bison have claimed league runner-up honors five times in the last 11 years. Individually, Greg Liebl’s second-place finish in 2007 remains the best finish by a Bison at the Summit League meet.
NDSU Women Compete at Summit League Cross Country Championships Saturday
The North Dakota State women’s cross-country team will compete at the Summit League Championships this Saturday, Oct. 29, in Grand Forks, N.D.
The University of North Dakota will host the meet at Ray Richards Golf Course. The women’s six-kilometer race will start at 11 a.m., with the men’s 8k scheduled to follow at noon.
The Bison women are in search of their fifth Summit League team title in cross country, hoping to overcome several close calls in recent seasons. NDSU finished second in the team race by only one point last year – a repeat of the one-point, runner-up finish by the Bison in 2018.
NDSU claimed the women’s team championships in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2019. The Bison women have won four Summit League individual crowns, with the most recent being Kelby Anderson in 2019.
Kaleesa Houston and Grace Link are the top returners for NDSU from last year’s conference meet, taking 7th and 12th, respectively. The duo has also been the top finishers for the Bison at the last three meets this season.
Hinze Named TicketSmarter Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week
Junior outside hitter Ali Hinze has been named the TicketSmarter Summit League Volleyball Offensive Peak Performer of the Week for the first time this season, the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Hinze helped the Bison (15-7, 8-2 Summit) to back-to-back sweeps last week over Western Illinois and St. Thomas. She connected on a team-high 34 kills and averaged a team-best 5.67 per set to go along with a .400 hitting percentage. The Maple Grove, Minn., native also totaled 16 digs and six blocks on the defensive end of the floor.
Hinze tallied a match-high 18 kills and season-high six blocks in the 3-0 win over Western Illinois. She finished the weekend notching her 10th double-double of the season with a match-high 16 kills and 11 digs in the 3-0 victory over St. Thomas. Hinze has reached double digits in kills in each of her last 10 matches and ranks fifth in the Summit League this season in total kills with 279.
NDSU will be back in action at Kansas City on Thursday night. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. The Bison will host South Dakota State at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Nov. 1st at 7 p.m. Student tickets are available at GoBison.com/Students.
NDSU’s Mauch Added to Walter Payton Award Watch List
Stats Perform has added North Dakota State left tackle Cody Mauch to the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the top offensive player in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision.
Mauch, a sixth-year senior from Hankinson, N.D., was already on the preseason watch list for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, widely recognized as college football’s top all-star game.
A second-team Associated Press All-American last year, Mauch is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honoree. He has earned two MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week awards this season.
Mauch has played in 54 career games including 31 consecutive starts on the Bison offensive line. NDSU is ranked fifth in the FCS averaging a conference-best 246.0 rushing yards per game, and the Bison are No. 2 nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed (2.86/game) and No. 3 in sacks allowed (0.71/game).
Mauch is the second NDSU player named to the Walter Payton Award watch list this year. Fullback Hunter Luepke, NDSU’s leading rusher who ranks fifth nationally in total touchdowns, was named to the preseason watch list.